France’s Orange sold 200,000 iPhones in December; Apple tablet to offer mobile video-conferencing

France Telecom’s Orange Deputy CEO Stéphane Richard told Europe 1 radio’s Jean-Pierre Elkabbach this morning that his company sold 200,000 Apple iPhone units in December 2009 alone.

As we covered earlier, Richard also confirmed that Apple would be launching a tablet equipped with a webcam that will allow live video streaming for mobile video-conferencing.

Orange Deputy CEO Stéphane Richard interview (in French):

[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Fred Mertz” for the heads up.]

27 Comments

  1. @Ron

    I am glad to be French fluent.

    @Everyone,

    French CEOs are usually very careful and conservative people. They don’t go by the rumor.
    My guess, the rumor is coming and Steve Jobs is leaking info through Stéphane Richard.

  2. The so-called tablet will not canibalise any of the existing functionality of any of the mac lines. What it will do though is use apps as its main OS thus negating the browser as the main portal to the internet and at the same time ensuring that apps developers realise a livelyhood by having an exclusive ready made market.

    What is the ramification of taking this high road? I hear you ask….
    First, it will provide security for any apps vendor and an income stream. Second, it will encourage publishers to vend their publications via apps. Thirdly, Musicians can reclaim their lost revenues by selling their music via apps either as a radio stream or as a subscription all you can eat model thus cutting out them great big fat bastards! Fourthly, Film and television can be sold as apps i.e programming and Fifth but not finally, viruses, trojans,
    can be eliminated via no available platform.

  3. Access to porn for those who cannot live without it will be available via apps but hopefully only legal stuff.

    So will that be the end of the browser? No! but it will certainly be the beginning of a big game changer!

  4. McIntosh:

    “@ron

    Is it because you aren’t smart enough to learn a second one?”

    Looks like 1.) you couldn’t detect a simple, elegant joke even if it slapped you in the face; and 2.) you owe Ron a massive apology, as he can, no doubt, easily be your grandfather (according to his age; realistically, he couldn’t possibly, since at least some of the intelligence and wit would have come down the genetic line…)

  5. Oh boy. It’s turned into one of those things.

    Predrag, can you explain to me the “elegant joke” behind a bigoted comment like ron’s? After I called him on it (maybe not nicely, sure, but he insulted a lot of people and kind of had it coming), he provides more information about his impressive work but nothing that explains his comment.

    Maybe the joke is he’s too active with his art to learn new languages. Not too clever, certainly not elegant, but whatever. Only problem is, the joke doesn’t work when the setup is given AFTER the punchline.

    I’d also like to know why a massive apology would be owed to someone just because of their age.

  6. “I’m glad that English is the universal language.”
    This is a fact.

    “Is it because you aren’t smart enough to learn a second one?”
    This is also a fact.

    Why are apologies in order for stating the truth? Bigoted not.
    Get on with your lives. Time is short.

    Where’s my tablet? McIntosh – get a life.

  7. People are too ‘PC’ (sorry) these days. Say what’s on your mind once in a while. The truth will set you free.

    People are getting more ‘Mac’ these days I’m happy to state.

    Give us a kiss McIntosh.

    The French sold a lot of iPhones. Is that better?

  8. Hmm, well, it seems no malice was intended from ron, which means I overreacted. Without the ability to “read” the person’s tone of voice, it can be easy to misread a comment. I don’t get how Predrag figured it out, except that as someone who’s an avowed Francophile and one-time fluent French speaker, I get easily riled by those who try to diminish the French.

    Apologies, ron. And yes, the French did buy a lot of iPhones. Deepest penetration in Europe. It’s been known for some time the French like Apple and vice versa (iTunes litigation aside). Style meets style. A natural fit to me.

  9. Mcintosh:

    As someone who’s probably not as avowed Francophile as yourself (but still, fluent enough in the language to understand the interview), I just couldn’t possibly see that Ron would have been bigoted. Perhaps I tend to always read a positive spin out of things. My apologies to you for my own inappropriate reaction.

    As for that tablet with webcam thing, I’m still not sure if the guy wasn’t talking out of an orifice other than his mouth…

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